1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus sorting recording sheets and making post-processing and an image forming apparatus having this sheet processing apparatus such as a photocopier and a laser beam printer (LBP), etc.
2. Description of Related Art
A sheet processing apparatus 1001, such as a sorter that performs sorting or stapling sheets or a finisher, conventionally has a frame, a housing, a controller, and so on, which are separated, as well as an automatic original document feeding apparatus 1002 or the like, from an image forming apparatus 1003, and such a sheet processing apparatus is constituted to be detachable from the image forming apparatus 1003.
Such a conventional structure, however, as the whole system, disadvantageously occupies a large installation area, because the sheet processing apparatus 1001 is attached to a side panel of the image forming apparatus 1003. Moreover, when paper jamming occurs at a sheet transfer portion located between the sheet processing apparatus 1001 and the image forming apparatus 1003, such a conventional apparatus is required to separate the sheet processing apparatus 1001 far away from the image forming apparatus 1003 to handle the paper jamming, and a space for such handling is also needed as opposing to a scheme of an office automation. Furthermore, since the sheet processing apparatus 1001 and the image forming apparatus 1003 are separated units, the conventional apparatus has increased number of parts, which invites higher costs.
It is an object of the invention to provide an image forming apparatus, including a sheet processing apparatus, made compact as a whole, installed in a smaller space, and made with reduced costs.
A representative structure of the invention to accomplish the above object is an image forming apparatus having an image forming section for forming images on sheets, characterized in incorporating a sheet processing apparatus in a housing of the image forming apparatus for performing sorting, aligning, stapling and the like of sheets on which images are formed.
For example, the image forming apparatus capable of forming images in a multiple or double-sided way on sheets is characterized in disposing the sheet processing apparatus substantially below a conveying route reintroducing the sheets on which images are formed to the image forming section.
According to such a structure, since the sheet post-processing apparatus for performing sorting, aligning, stapling and the like of sheets on which images are formed is incorporated in an image forming apparatus, and more specifically, since the image forming apparatus capable of forming images in a multiple or double-sided way on sheets is formed in disposing the sheet processing apparatus substantially below a conveying route reintroducing the sheets on which images are formed to the image forming section, the image forming apparatus can render the whole apparatus compact, the installation area small, and costs reduced.
Furthermore, the above sheet processing apparatus is characterized in including a processing tray for collecting once sheets on which images are formed, bundle conveying means for conveying a sheet bundle on the processing tray, a reference member serving as a mounting reference for front ends of sheets in a feeding direction of the sheets mounted on the processing tray, aligning means for aligning the sheets placed on the processing tray in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction, and stapling means for stapling the sheets on the processing tray.
According to the sheet processing apparatus of the invention, since the sheet post-processing apparatus for performing sorting, aligning, stapling and the like of sheets on which images are formed is incorporated in an image forming apparatus, and more specifically, since the image forming apparatus capable of forming images in a multiple or double-sided way on sheets is formed in disposing the sheet processing apparatus substantially below a conveying route reintroducing the sheets on which images are formed to the image forming section, the image forming apparatus can render the whole apparatus compact, the installation area small, and costs reduced.
Another sheet processing apparatus can have an image forming section for forming images on a sheet surface, a sheet conveying section for conveying sheets on which images are formed at the image forming section, a first sheet delivery section disposed at an end of a first conveying route branching from the sheet conveying section, a second sheet delivery section disposed at an end of a second conveying route branching from the sheet conveying section, a sheet stacking section for stacking the sheets conveyed from the first and second conveying routes, a sheet bundle containing section arranged at a location other than the sheet stacking section for containing a stacked sheet bundle, and conveying speed regulating means for setting sheet conveying speed in the second conveying route faster than sheet conveying speed on an upstream side of the second conveying route and sheet conveying speed from the sheet conveying section to the first sheet delivery section, during a mode for delivering the sheets from the second sheet delivery section onto the sheet stacking section to stack the sheets thereon until the sheet bundle is completely delivered onto the sheet bundle containing section after the sheets are delivered from the first sheet delivery section onto the sheet stacking section to stack the sheets thereon.
With such a sheet processing apparatus, the sheet conveying speed in the second conveying route is set faster than the sheet conveying speed on an upstream side of the second conveying route and the sheet conveying speed from the sheet conveying section to the first sheet delivery section, and therefore, after completion of sheet bundle containing operation, time until the sheets are delivered from the first sheet delivery section after the sheets are delivered from the second sheet delivery section is increased to enable the sheet bundle to be movable to the first sheet delivery section, thereby achieving high productivity of the apparatus itself.
As another sheet processing apparatus, this invention can have an image forming section for forming images on a sheet surface, a sheet conveying section for conveying sheets on which images are formed at the image forming section, a first sheet delivery section disposed at an end of a first conveying route branching from the sheet conveying section, a second sheet delivery section disposed at an end of a second conveying route branching from the sheet conveying section, a sheet stacking section for stacking the sheets conveyed from the first and second conveying routes, and a sheet bundle containing section for containing a sheet bundle brought and stacked at a location other than the sheet stacking section, in having a mode for delivering the sheets from the second sheet delivery section onto the sheet stacking section to stack the sheets thereon until the sheet bundle is completely delivered onto the sheet bundle containing section after the sheets are delivered from the first sheet delivery section onto the sheet stacking section to stack the sheets thereon, and the sheet processing apparatus may further include movable stopper means movable along a sheet stacking surface to regulate front ends of the sheets while the sheets from the first and second delivery sections are stacked, stationary stopper means secured to the sheet stacking surface to regulate the front ends of the sheets while the sheets from either of the first and second delivery sections are stacked, and conveying speed regulating means for setting sheet conveying speed in the second conveying route faster than sheet conveying speed on an upstream side of the second conveying route and sheet conveying speed from the sheet conveying section to the first sheet delivery section.
With such a sheet processing apparatus, in addition the above structure, the sheet processing apparatus has the movable stopper means movable along a sheet stacking surface to regulate front ends of the sheets while the sheets from the first and second delivery sections are stacked and the stationary stopper means secured to the sheet stacking surface to regulate the front ends of the sheets while the sheets from either of the first and second delivery sections are stacked, so that the obtained apparatus can be of a relatively simple structure with reduced costs but highly productive.
Another sheet processing apparatus includes sheet conveying means for conveying sheets, first sheet delivery means disposed at an end of a first conveying route branching from the sheet conveying section, second sheet delivery means disposed at an end of a second conveying route branching from the sheet conveying section, sheet stacking means for stacking sheets conveyed from the first and second conveying routes, sheet bundle processing means for processing individually sheet bundles stacked on the sheet stacking means, sheet bundle aligning means for aligning the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet stacking means, a plurality of sheet bundle conveying means capable of conveying independently the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet stacking means, and sheet bundle stacking means arranged at a location other than the sheet stacking means for stacking individual sheet bundles conveyed by the sheet bundle conveying means.
According to such a sheet processing apparatus, in a sheet processing apparatus applying a parallel stacking method to process the sheets after images are formed and in an image forming apparatus having this, it is advantageous that the apparatus can be made more compact and simpler with reduced costs where the apparatus itself adequately maintains and utilizes necessary prescribed functions and performances.
A further image forming apparatus according to the invention has an image forming apparatus main unit having an image forming section for forming images on supplied recording sheets, a sheet processing unit detachably attached below the image forming apparatus main unit, having a sheet processing section for post-processing recording sheets on which images are formed by the image forming section, a sheet feeding unit detachably attached below the sheet processing unit, having recording sheet stacking means for stacking image recording sheets to be fed to the image forming apparatus main unit, and a sheet feeding route arranged at the sheet processing unit for guiding the recording sheets from the sheet processing unit to the image forming apparatus main unit.
According to this image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus main unit, the sheet processing unit, and the short feeding unit are separably formed, and because main parts of the apparatus are placed in respective housings of those units in consideration of various functions of respective units, the image forming apparatus can be made relatively compact as a whole, with a smaller occupied area for installation, and as a result, the invention can remarkably improve productivity of the image forming apparatus and the nature of the maintenance.
The above image forming apparatus may further have a new sheet feeding unit detachably arranged, which has recording sheet stacking means, disposed between the image forming apparatus and the image forming apparatus main unit, for stacking the recording sheets thereon to feed the sheets to the image forming apparatus main unit.
According to this image forming apparatus, because the sheet feeding route in the sheet processing unit guides the recording sheets from the sheet feeding unit to the image forming apparatus main unit, the above advantageous points would be further promoted.
Moreover, the image forming apparatus may have the image forming apparatus main unit formed with a delivery tray arranged outside the apparatus for receiving the recording sheets on which images are formed.
According to this image forming apparatus, since the image forming apparatus main unit has a delivery tray, when the apparatus performs only image formation on the recording sheets, or namely, when any post processing, which is most frequently accessed by users, is not performed, the recording sheets formed with images can be directly delivered out of the apparatus without passing each section for the post processing, and in such a situation, the apparatus can make the whole structure relatively compact while keeping its convenience when the apparatus is used, and also, the advantageous points of the image forming apparatus system would be further promoted.
Those image forming apparatus ensures expandability of the image forming apparatus to correspond to versatility of users and, for example, has excellent advantages to easily provide a product that can increase kinds and number of the sheet feed units and arbitrarily select existence or kinds of the sheet processing unit.